Home for the Holidays: The Honey Baked Ham Company® Serves Up Ease, Flavor and Family Time This Holiday Season

Survey finds 54% of empty nesters are welcoming home adult children this holiday season — with food at the heart of every reunion.

ATLANTA, Nov. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- This holiday season, The Honey Baked Ham Company® is helping families focus on what matters most: time together. With its iconic hams and turkeys and complete holiday meals, HoneyBaked® is making it easier than ever for hosts to serve a delicious feast—and spend less time in the kitchen.

And for millions of empty nesters, those moments will be especially meaningful this year.

New research commissioned by HoneyBaked and conducted by Talker Research found more than half (54%) of "empty nesters" – parents whose kids have already moved out of the home – plan on having their children come home for the holidays this year, and their kids are trekking an average of 596 miles to get back home.

A Homecoming Defined by Food and Family
The study found that food plays a powerful role in making the holidays feel like home again:

• 1 in 4 parents said their kids have already made special meal or snack requests:
  • 72% want their favorite meals.
  • 46% want their favorite snacks or drinks waiting for them.
• Two-thirds of parents start shopping weeks in advance to make sure those favorites are ready.
• 42% say they need to plan for a wider variety of foods depending on who their kids bring home.

And with full tables returning, empty nesters expect to prepare an average of three main centerpiece dishes—most often turkey (66%) and ham (52%).

"Food is such an important part of what makes the holidays feel like home," said Chef Tim Ziga, Culinary Expert at The Honey Baked Ham Company. "But for many empty nesters, these visits from their kids are few and far between—and no one wants to spend that precious time stuck in the kitchen. HoneyBaked makes it easy to serve a beautiful holiday meal without missing a single moment with the people who matter most."

HoneyBaked's 2025 Holiday Menu Offerings
This Thanksgiving, HoneyBaked's delicious hams and turkey breasts with their signature sweet, crunchy glaze make for the perfect centerpiece at any holiday celebration, while sides like Maple Sweet Potato Souffle, Double Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese, Green Bean Casserole and Tuscan Broccoli complete the spread.

• Bone-In Half Ham: Smoked for up to 24 hours and hand-crafted with a signature sweet and crunchy glaze. Spiral sliced, fully-cooked, and ready to serve.
• Turkey Breast: Available in Roasted and Smoked flavors, it's slow-smoked and perfectly seasoned premium 100 percent white meat. Hand-crafted in-store with the signature sweet and crunchy glaze, fully-cooked and ready to serve.
• Boneless Ham: A whole-size, boneless ham smoked 10-11 hours for a milder, lighter flavor. Hand-crafted with the signature sweet and crunchy glaze, fully-cooked and ready to serve
• Honey Baked Ham & Turkey Feast: A bone-in-half ham and turkey breast, both topped with HoneyBaked's signature sweet and crunchy glaze. Choose from four Heat & Serve sides such as Maple Sweet Potato Souffle, Double Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese, Green Bean Casserole or Tuscan Broccoli.
• Turkey & 3 Sides Meal: Choose from either a Roasted or Smoked Turkey Breast with HoneyBaked's sweet and crunchy glaze, accompanied by your choice of three Heat & Serve Sides.

Holiday Offers
To make the holiday season even sweeter, HoneyBaked is offering exclusive holiday offers when customers shop and buy online to save more and beat the holiday rush:

• Take $7 off any Bone-In Half Ham or Whole Boneless Ham. Valid only on Sunday, November 23 and Monday, November 24 for in-store and online purchases.
• Take $10 off any $100+ Holiday meal.  Valid only on Sunday, November 23 and Monday, November 24 for online purchases.
• Thanksgiving Gift Shipping Sale: $10 off $75+ | $20 off $125+ | $30 off $175+. Valid on shipped orders placed through November 30.

HoneyBaked offers premium gifting options that will elevate the holiday season. Surprise hosts with the signature Honey Baked Ham®, spiral sliced and ready to serve, or opt for the flexibility of HoneyBaked gift cards, allowing hosts to choose their favorite spread.

The full menu is available at your nearest HoneyBaked location. You can also visit honeybaked.com/holiday for all your holiday needs, including to buy online and pick up in-store for any holiday gathering.

About The Honey Baked Ham Company: 
For more than 65 years, The Honey Baked Ham Company has provided customers and their families with delightful food to enjoy for all of life's special moments. HoneyBaked's origins began when founder Harry J. Hoenselaar patented a spiral-slicing ham machine, making way for the first HoneyBaked Store in Detroit, Michigan. Since that momentous opening in 1957, the company has grown to more than 400 locations nationwide, serving its signature spiral-sliced Honey Baked Ham with sweet and crunchy glaze, premium turkey breast, heat and serve sides, desserts, sandwiches, and more. Offering convenient meals using the best ingredients, HoneyBaked will make every occasion a little more memorable, whether you're dining in store, picking up or ordering online. For more information visit www.honeybaked.com and connect on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and TikTok.

Survey methodology:
Talker Research surveyed 1,000 American parents who have adult children that no longer live at home; the survey was commissioned by HoneyBaked and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Oct. 8 and Oct. 15, 2025.

SOURCE The Honey Baked Ham Company